understand

Study(20)

/ˌʌndəˈstænd/

verb 5intj 1

Collocations

(verb.)

ADV

clearly, well

fully, perfectly, quite

I didn't quite understand what the teacher explained about the math problem yesterday.

not really

I don't really understand why she decided to leave her job without telling anyone.

adequately

correctly, properly

My teacher explained the math problem again so I could correctly understand it.

easily, readily

Most people readily understand why children need sleep and rest.

instinctively, intuitively

The child instinctively understood that his mother was upset, even though she didn't say anything.

VERB + UNDERSTAND

be able/unable to, can/could

She was unable to understand why her friend suddenly stopped talking to her.

try to | begin to | be easy to

be difficult to, be hard to

It was hard to understand what the teacher meant by that confusing explanation.

help (to), help sb (to)

PREP

about

Scientists still don't understand much about why some people get allergies.

PHRASES

be commonly/generally/popularly understood

Success is commonly understood to mean having a lot of money and a prestigious job.

be imperfectly/incompletely/poorly understood

Many people find that their teenager's behavior is still incompletely understood by parents.

be universally/widely understood

Definitions

verb

To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend.

Can you repeat what you just said? I didn't understand.

Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.

To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend.

‘[…] I came back here, had a wank and finished that book.’ ‘The Naked Lunch?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘What did you reckon?’ ‘Crap.’ ‘You’re just saying that because you didn’t understand it,’ said Adrian. ‘I’m just saying that because I did understand it,’ said Tom. ‘Any road up, we’d better start making some toast.[…]’

To be thoroughly familiar with; to be able to undertake properly.

The students understood the assignment.

To comprehend a fact or principle; to regard or come to regard a belief as such.

I understand that company policy says I can't get a refund, but can you make an exception?

There's been no formal declaration, but it's understood that a state of war exists between the two countries

To know the intent, motives or character of; (of events) to know the causes of or reasons for.

One day you say you love me, the next you ignore me—I don't understand you!

intj

Uh-huh, I see; a way to acknowledge something said by the other speaker.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

verb — perceive (an idea or situation) mentally

realize
realise
see

verb — believe to be the case

infer

verb — make sense of a language

verb — be understanding of

sympathize
sympathise
empathize
empathise

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

I don't understand

Indicates that the speaker is not understanding the current subject or situation.

understand the assignment

To excel at something; to demonstrate one's skill or talent.

If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher in your shared kitchen, then a) we’re jealous and b) it’s definitely worth picking a processor that you don’t have to wash up. This unde

give someone to understand

To tell someone, especially indirectly; to insinuate.

Hadn't she explained and described and even—though lightly, of course; she couldn't say such a thing directly—given him to understand that this was the one unforgivable thing.

Example Bank

Can you repeat what you just said? I didn't understand.

Wiktionary

In reading this book, be very certain you never go past a word you do not fully understand.

Wiktionary

There are many words that I don't understand.

Tatoeba · #1414

I'm so dumb... I'm trying to explain things to you that I don't understand myself.

Tatoeba · #1497

To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand.

Tatoeba · #1634

Usage Notes

Your note

not saved

0 chars